MPJ’s Trip to the Philippines and How You Can Join the Fight for Freedom
00:00:00.000 | There was so much about it that was eye-opening for me.
00:00:04.840 | I'm leaving with a sense of urgency.
00:00:07.820 | It was really a trip I'll never forget.
00:00:10.060 | My name is Michael Porter, Jr.,
00:00:11.420 | and I play professional basketball.
00:00:13.220 | (upbeat music)
00:00:15.800 | (upbeat music)
00:00:18.380 | (upbeat music)
00:00:20.960 | (upbeat music)
00:00:23.560 | (upbeat music)
00:00:26.140 | (upbeat music)
00:00:28.700 | (upbeat music)
00:00:31.280 | (upbeat music)
00:00:33.840 | (upbeat music)
00:00:36.420 | (upbeat music)
00:00:38.920 | (upbeat music)
00:00:41.520 | (upbeat music)
00:00:44.060 | (upbeat music)
00:00:46.620 | (upbeat music)
00:00:48.300 | I heard about iJM through really a conference.
00:00:50.860 | It was a bunch of professional athletes.
00:00:52.620 | It was a great experience,
00:00:53.660 | and I heard about them and what they do
00:00:55.160 | and the work they do.
00:00:56.700 | - Yeah, Michael, MPJ, I've known him for about a year.
00:01:00.200 | I met him actually at a conference
00:01:01.840 | where I presented the work of iJM.
00:01:03.900 | He immediately came up to me and said,
00:01:05.480 | "Hey, I love the work you're doing.
00:01:06.880 | "How can I be involved?"
00:01:07.980 | And getting to spend time with him here,
00:01:09.580 | he's such a curious person.
00:01:11.880 | He has such a big heart.
00:01:13.480 | - Thank you for your glory.
00:01:15.920 | Thank you for bringing each of us on Team Freedom
00:01:19.060 | from around the world to be here today.
00:01:22.400 | - The work that I think that iJM does is very important
00:01:24.860 | and it's something that's close to my heart.
00:01:27.000 | It's something that I've always saw as a global issue
00:01:30.200 | and wanted to play my part in doing what I could
00:01:32.380 | just to help out in any way I could.
00:01:34.800 | It means a lot to share with my family.
00:01:36.700 | I brought my sister down here with me.
00:01:38.640 | You know, that's kind of my traveling buddy.
00:01:40.080 | I brought her husband.
00:01:42.020 | Nicodemus Christopher, he's kind of like my right-hand man.
00:01:44.980 | You know, they're looking forward to being here as well.
00:01:48.560 | - Yeah, I heard out here in the Philippines
00:01:49.980 | they love basketball, and I think, you know,
00:01:52.060 | being an athlete, it should mean so much more
00:01:54.360 | than just putting a ball in a hoop
00:01:56.060 | or, you know, throwing a ball across a field
00:01:57.960 | or whatever sports you play.
00:01:59.460 | I think really using the platform God gave you
00:02:01.600 | for impact to, you know, inspire other people
00:02:03.940 | to make other people happy is really the bigger purpose.
00:02:06.980 | To be out here in a country that they love basketball
00:02:10.140 | is a blessing, and, you know, I've already had
00:02:11.940 | a lot of people come up to me and want pictures
00:02:13.980 | and things like that, so to get to put a smile
00:02:15.880 | on people's face is amazing.
00:02:18.000 | (gentle music)
00:02:20.740 | - I was 16 years old when I was tricked
00:02:23.940 | into this computer job.
00:02:26.300 | I became orphaned.
00:02:27.740 | My mother and father died when I was 13.
00:02:30.340 | I was experiencing physical and verbal abuse
00:02:33.580 | from my siblings, so I had this desire
00:02:36.580 | to move out and be independent.
00:02:40.560 | So I stumbled this friend request in Facebook
00:02:44.700 | from a stranger.
00:02:46.200 | The girl who recruited me was in Pampanga.
00:02:50.760 | She told me that I could take classes
00:02:52.900 | at night after my work, that she will give me free food,
00:02:57.000 | that she will give me free lodging.
00:03:00.140 | When I got there to the house, I saw that instead
00:03:03.980 | of a computer shop that I was expecting,
00:03:08.320 | we arrived in a house with a red gate.
00:03:10.620 | When I entered the house, I saw girls came out
00:03:14.460 | from one of the rooms inside that house.
00:03:16.500 | They were naked, and I was like so shocked.
00:03:20.020 | I didn't even know how to react on that,
00:03:23.360 | and that's when she explained to me what the real job was.
00:03:28.360 | Realizing what the real situation is,
00:03:32.340 | I told her that I don't wanna do this anymore.
00:03:35.840 | I wanna go back home, but she told me
00:03:38.880 | that I had to pay for the 150 USD that she sent me
00:03:43.020 | before I could go back home.
00:03:44.780 | I didn't have any money with me back then,
00:03:47.420 | so I literally fell into her trap,
00:03:50.660 | and that's how I got exploited there every day,
00:03:53.360 | sometimes at eight hours a day, sometimes at 12 hours.
00:03:58.000 | So when I refused to do what they order me to do,
00:04:02.040 | they would punish me, they will starve me,
00:04:05.200 | they would let me sleep on the floor without anything.
00:04:09.540 | I would describe it as a very long tunnel
00:04:12.820 | that I cannot see the end,
00:04:14.620 | you know, where there would be sunlight or anything.
00:04:18.120 | And I was just desperate the whole time,
00:04:21.820 | desperate, hopeless.
00:04:24.260 | - You know, those stories are always so heartbreaking
00:04:26.860 | and touching just 'cause they're so personal,
00:04:28.460 | and you get to see the person that went through it,
00:04:31.200 | but I think it's also so encouraging,
00:04:33.000 | and to see them use their story to inspire,
00:04:36.500 | but also to open up and just use their voice,
00:04:38.380 | I think is encouraging.
00:04:39.540 | - No one is safe nowadays, no one is safe.
00:04:42.840 | Your daughter could be next, your sister could be next,
00:04:45.420 | your niece or nephews could be next.
00:04:47.820 | - Your visit to the Philippines matters greatly,
00:04:55.060 | as it brings to light the enormity
00:04:57.160 | of the online threats against our children,
00:05:00.160 | but it also possibly could highlight
00:05:02.560 | the efforts of the Philippine government
00:05:04.660 | in prioritizing the fight against OSIAC and CSAM.
00:05:09.040 | - It was awesome to be able to get
00:05:11.200 | so many different government agencies
00:05:13.500 | in a room with us at IJM.
00:05:16.440 | It just, it goes to show the power
00:05:18.380 | of what these athletes can do, right?
00:05:20.380 | You travel all the way across the world,
00:05:22.580 | and people know who you are.
00:05:24.220 | - Athletes in America sometimes are so involved
00:05:28.260 | in their sport that they don't realize
00:05:29.720 | the platform and the impact they could have.
00:05:33.000 | - It seemed like they understand that this is a priority,
00:05:36.300 | and it seemed like they were willing
00:05:38.360 | to play their part as well.
00:05:40.000 | (upbeat music)
00:05:44.440 | - Right now we're at a park in Papanga,
00:05:48.280 | playing with the kids from a shelter.
00:05:50.540 | - It's gonna be, I think, a life-changing experience.
00:05:52.340 | It's gonna put things in perspective for me,
00:05:53.980 | but more importantly, I think getting to spend time
00:05:56.440 | with some of those kids, I think will be amazing.
00:05:59.560 | - Just imagine the kind of exploitation
00:06:01.420 | that they have experienced in the past,
00:06:02.980 | and now they can be children again,
00:06:05.460 | and they can just walk, and run,
00:06:07.760 | and just do something else that they could not,
00:06:10.100 | they're unable to do in their previous life.
00:06:13.900 | - It's just good to see, you know,
00:06:15.100 | all the hard things they've been through.
00:06:17.600 | Still here being kids, still here,
00:06:19.380 | just wanting to enjoy life, and smile, and have fun.
00:06:22.240 | It's really good to see.
00:06:23.440 | - Walking into that shelter,
00:06:26.940 | I kinda immediately saw the little girl.
00:06:30.420 | She was so helpless.
00:06:32.260 | Everyone else in the shelter was a little bit older,
00:06:34.060 | kinda knew what was going on a little bit.
00:06:36.660 | You know, she was a little bit, I think,
00:06:38.360 | just frightened about the whole situation at first,
00:06:40.260 | all of us being there, but later on in the day,
00:06:42.560 | she kinda opened up, and we got to roll the ball
00:06:44.640 | back and forth, and that was a touching moment for me.
00:06:47.840 | - Yeah, this has been, this I can pretty confidently say,
00:06:51.780 | this has been the best trip of my life.
00:06:53.940 | I am so grateful for the opportunity to be here,
00:06:58.040 | and see the work that IJM is doing.
00:07:00.720 | It's really tugged at my soul, so I'm grateful, yeah.
00:07:03.780 | - Watching him with the kids, you know,
00:07:06.760 | like, they could barely reach up and give him a high five
00:07:09.320 | 'cause he's so much taller than them,
00:07:10.560 | but he has this heart for children,
00:07:12.960 | and it's very apparent by the way he was with the kids.
00:07:15.700 | So, it's been awesome.
00:07:17.260 | - There was moments throughout the whole week,
00:07:23.600 | things that I won't forget,
00:07:24.880 | and things that I'll be able to take going forward,
00:07:26.780 | and hopefully help this issue moving forward.
00:07:30.580 | - Just by listening, you provide value.
00:07:34.380 | We need you.
00:07:35.220 | You encourage us and give us hope.
00:07:38.320 | - A large part of my life has been trying to make it myself,
00:07:43.180 | and get to the place where I'm at today,
00:07:45.220 | but I think being out here, for me,
00:07:47.920 | is all about how I can serve others,
00:07:50.100 | and see how God can impact my heart
00:07:53.360 | through serving others.
00:07:54.860 | (gentle music)
00:07:57.440 | ♪ Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh ♪
00:08:00.940 | ♪ Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh ♪
00:08:04.440 | you